[1] The assembly is the oldest in Canada, having first sat in 1758;[2] in 1848, it was the site of the first responsible government in the British Empire.

Bills passed by the House of Assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor[3] in the name of the King of Canada.

Originally (in 1758), the Legislature consisted of the Crown represented by a governor (later a lieutenant governor), the appointed Nova Scotia Council holding both executive and legislative duties and an elected House of Assembly (lower chamber).

Located in Halifax, Province House is a National Historic Site and Canada's oldest and smallest legislative building.

The building was also originally home to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and the location of the "Freedom of the Press" trial of Joseph Howe.